Editorial Note: The following news reports are summaries from original sources. They may also include corrections of Arabic names and political terminology. Comments are in parentheses.

 

Yemen Suspends Flights to Sana'a Airport Amid Threats by Fired General, Brother of Former Dictator

 

Yemen suspends all flights to Sanaa airport amid threats by fired general

SANAA, April 7, 2012 (Xinhua) --

Yemen's aviation authorities suspended all incoming and outgoing flights at Sanaa International Airport on Saturday amid threats by the fired air force chief to shoot down planes, officials said.

Late on Friday, commander of the air force Maj. Gen. Mohammed Saleh al-Ahmar, a half brother of former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, was officially sacked by Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, after months-long protests by air force soldiers.

A security official at the airport told Xinhua on condition of anonymity that the aviation authorities closed the airport after the fired general threatened to shoot down any civilian plane.

"The general strongly oppose his removal... He asked Hadi to fire his opponents such as defected general Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, the commander of the defected First Armored Division."

Meanwhile, an official at Hadi's office told Xinhua anonymously that there would not be security problems regarding the dismissal of the air force commander.

"General Mohammed Saleh al-Ahmar is sick for months, and he was informed about his removal early before Hadi made the decree... and the general's son Haitham Mohammed Saleh al-Ahmar is in fact running the intelligence service and nearly everything inside the air force since months ago," the official told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

"Maybe there is a real problem that is threatening the aviation in the airport caused not by the fired general, but some armed tribesmen or angry low-ranking air officers... and the Interior ministry has started to solve such problems," he said.

Editor: Mo Hong'e

35 killed in sectarian clashes in north Yemen: official

SANAA, April 5, 2012 (Xinhua) --

At least 35 people were killed in fresh sectarian clashes over the past two days between Shiite rebels and Sunni fundamentalists in Yemen's northern restive province of Saada, a local councilman said on Thursday.

"A total of 30 Shiite rebels and five Sunni fundamentalist were killed over the past two days during sectarian clashes between the rival forces in war-torn district of Kutaf," the councilman told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

He said dozens of others from each side were wounded.

The Shiite rebels, also known as Houthis, who control most parts of Saada, signed a ceasefire deal with the Yemeni government in August 2010, putting an end to an on-and-off war since 2004.

However, the Shiite rebels have since involved in sectarian clashes with local Sunni tribesmen, which rocked the northern regions and forced thousands of local residents to flee the conflict to remote areas.

The tension has escalated after the central government's control is weakened by one-year protests against former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, as the well-armed rebel group has been trying to take advantage of the security vacuum to expand their control over the country's northern regions.

Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi has promised to launch a national dialogue to settle disputes between all political factions.

Editor: yan